Smokey ice: the secrets of perfect shading

Smokey ice is a universal way to emphasize the beauty of the eyes and add expressiveness to makeup. Mastering all the intricacies of applying shadows is difficult only at first glance. But in fact, knowledge of the anatomy of your face, a few simple tricks, and a little practice – and voila, you are already putting out your perfect smokes.

What you need for smokey ice

What makeup is needed to create smokey ice? For this makeup, several shades of shadows may be enough. Will this makeup last you all day? Probably not. To ensure the durability and saturation of shades, you first need to take care of a good base.

Particularly active facial expressions characterize the area around the eyes: we blink, squint, and our eyes can water from the wind and sun. For dry shadows, all this can end in tears. Therefore, smokey ices begin with applying cream products: eyeshadow primer or eyeliner. It can be a Kayal with a bold rich texture, which must be fixed with shadows. Or a resistant pencil that will fix itself but require speed in shading. Cream shadows are also suitable – perhaps the most versatile and quick way to make up the eyes: they usually contain a sufficient amount of pigment and are fixed on the skin of the eyelids on their own.

Primer and cream shadows can be applied and smudged with your fingers – a clear graphic shape cannot be achieved, but this method is quite suitable for a light haze. For more intricate shapes and targeted applications, you will, of course, need a few eye brushes.

Flat brush

Has three working surfaces: two sides for applying dry shadows on the moving eyelid and a cut for blending the ciliary contour.

Barrel

The brush is Suitable for blending the pencil in the outer corner of the eye and applying eyeshadow to the eyelid’s crease.

Fluffy brushes

Useful in at least two sizes: one for shading in the crease of the eyelid, the second larger size for the final shading of shadows into a haze. With a small fluffy brush, you can also accentuate with shining shadows – in the corner of the eye, under the eyebrow, and in the center of the moving eyelid.

Cosmetic application technique

Let’s analyze all the steps for creating classic smokey ice in stages.

Base

First, apply a little eyeshadow primer to clean the skin of the eyelids. Use a small fluffy brush, or evenly spread the base with your fingertip. A thin layer is enough because if you overdo it and there is too much product on the skin, the shadows can still roll up and crumble.

Mucosa and ciliary contour

1. First of all, work on the mucous eyes, lower and upper. This is where a waterproof pencil comes in handy.
2. To work out the ciliary contour, you can take a kajal – unlike a resistant pencil, it is not fixed, and you will have enough time to learn how to shade it. Apply the pencil along the contour of the eye from above and below. Trying to draw straight lines is not worth it; now, we are just creating the basis for smokey ice.
3. Now is the time to take a flat brush and blend the pencil with its cut. Move along the contour of the eye with small horizontal movements. The contour should be saturated, do not try to blend the borders into a perfect gradient with the skin.
4. With the rest of the pigment on the cut of the brush, walk along the outer corner of the eye, in a V-shaped movement, going to the eyelid’s natural crease.

Use a small, fluffy brush or barrel brush to blend the edges of the pencil. If you are using a long-lasting formula for both the mucosa and the lash line, work quickly before the pencil has time to set.

Shadows

1. Now that the desired makeup shape is created move on to the shadows. To start with a large fluffy brush, fix the result with a neutral shade of shadows or translucent powder. Cover the entire application area of cream products with a thin layer – the lower and upper eyelids, the inner corner of the eye, and the area under the eyebrow.
2. A palette of two or three shades for classic smokey ice is enough. First, with a flat brush, apply the lightest shade in terms of color saturation to the upper movable eyelid and blend it with a small fluffy brush until the natural crease. The brush should be perpendicular; do not put it on the eyelid; use only the fluffy tip.
3. Apply the middle color closer to the ciliary edge, blending it with a cut of a flat brush into the pencil drawing. And along the ciliary contour, use the darkest shade, extinguishing it with the same horizontal movements. Repeat this step on the lower eyelid without going beyond the natural crease.
4. With a fluffy brush, apply a medium shade of shadow to the outer corner of the eye and blend it into the crease of the upper eyelid.
5. Now you can set the accents: highlight the center of the moving eyelid with a light radiant shade, put a highlight in the corner of the eye and under the eyebrow.

The edges of the shading can be brought to the ideal with a synthetic brush with the remnants of the concealer. There should not be a lot of product: you can blot the brush with a napkin and, with light movements, go along the borders of shading the shadows as if erasing the excess with an eraser.

It remains only to paint over the eyelashes (if you wish, you can curl them with a curler) – and your smokey ice is ready.

Shading shape

You can play with the shapes by mastering the classic smokey ice shading technique. The basic form, which we discussed in the previous section, is based on the anatomical features of the eye and involves soft shading of shades close to your skin tone. What other forms can you try?

Stretched smoky ice

You can draw a wide feathered arrow to the effect of a cat’s look. As in the case of the basic anatomical form, start with cream products, having thoroughly worked out the mucous membranes and the ciliary contour. But take the pencil shading from the outer corner of the eye to the temples, and when applying shadows, do not go too high beyond the crease of the upper eyelid. The drawing on the lower eyelid should also not be lowered too much. This shape will visually stretch the eye.

If you are afraid that your eyes will become visually smaller, do not paint over the lower mucosa with a dark pencil. Take a pencil of a light shade, certainly persistent, and use it at the end of the eye makeup for the lower mucosa. This technique will open your eyes.

Round smoky ice

Another trick is to enlarge the eyes. Round smokey ice will make your look very expressive, puppet. Here, on the contrary, you should not stretch the shape of the shading to the sides; feel free to shade the shadows along the upper crease almost to the eyebrow. On the lower eyelid, make the shading as soft as possible, keeping the color saturation at the ciliary contour. On the center of the eyelid, be sure to apply light shadows – matte or shining: both on the moving eyelid and right under the pupil on the lower one.

With ut crease

Technique for the most advanced beauty lovers translated – “cut fold.” Behind the creepy name is a very effective contrasting eye makeup. When you have already blended the crease perfectly, emphasize the lower eyelid and work out the lower contour, a flat brush and a persistent concealer come into play. It is applied clearly and graphically on the moving eyelid up to the natural crease and then fixed with light shadows.

With such makeup, graphic arrows are especially effectively combined. The most daring can also add a strip of false eyelashes.

Colored smokey ice

Natural shades are suitable for makeup for every day, and if desired, they can then be transformed into an evening one, enhancing the range with dark colors. Having worked out different application schemes, you can play with combinations of bright colors.

In the case of colored smokey ice, it is important to start makeup from the eyes and apply the tone and the rest of the decorative cosmetics after. Bright shades can crumble and leave spots on the cheeks and cheekbones. Wipe off excess with a damp cloth or cotton pad soaked in micellar water, apply moisturizer and proceed to the foundation.

If you want to try on colored smoky ices in dark colors, use dark cream products for the base – a pencil or eye shadow. But a white base or pencil will come in handy for pastel shades. Choose a pencil to match the shadows to make the shades as saturated and pure as possible. For example, for smoky green eyes, take an emerald pencil, and for blue ones, use creamy shimmery shadows.

Don’t be afraid to combine different textures: you can make makeup completely matte or add shine. Duochrome shadows will become a beautiful accent (they reveal themselves especially effectively on a dark base).

The rule of contrasts

With the help of color accents, you can emphasize the color of your eyes, enhance them, and make them brighter and more expressive. To do this, choose a shade that contrasts with the iris—blue eyes sparkle in the neighborhood with a warm range – from golden to orange shadows. Blue and purple shades are suitable for Kareem, and pink and red shades are suitable for green. It is not necessary to make makeup bright. A few accents of a color highlighter or the desired shade on the lower mucosa are enough.